Social progressivism

Social progressivism is the view that social norms and moral values are not fixed throughout history and should be revised as new scientific knowledge (particularly about human nature) and critical inquiry changes social views of society and culture. The term is most commonly associated with an international political movement on basis of this view. It is the opposite of social conservatism and is the social component of classical liberalism, alongside fiscal conservatism.
Social progressives believe that there is no inherent value in tradition. Particularly in developed countries, social progressives are secularists. Thus, all current interpersonal social constructs, such as marriage, the family, monogamy and gender roles and gender identity, must be legally challenged whenever such a change is deemed to be for the greater good of society or is desired by those who wish to engage a social arrangement not currently sanctioned by law.
Social progressivism is not to be confused with social liberalism. While they will often coincide on social or moral issues, social liberalism concerns itself with economic inequality and redistribution, with which social progressivism does not concern itself.
In the United States
Social progressives in the United States are associated with the left wing of the Democratic Party.
Historically, social progressives advocated for the abolition of slavery, women's suffrage and civil rights reforms. Current positions associated with social progressivism in the United States include raising the minimum wage, legal recognition of same-sex marriage, easy access to contraceptives for adolescents, public funding of embryonic stem-cell research, retaining abortion rights and promoting looser restrictions on abortion. Public education is a subject of great interest to social progressives, who support comprehensive sex education in public schools and the distribution of condoms to high and, less frequently, middle school students, but are strongly opposed to school prayer (on grounds that public sector employees sanctioning faith-related activities among students violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment), to vouchers which would allow parents to take their children out of poorly performing public schools (on grounds that it distracts from the problem of public school under-performance and deprives schools of the funds necessary to make improvements), and to the inclusion of intelligent design theory in science curricula.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu